I love symbols and symbolism. When I see specific things, sometimes I see specific people from my life that are known for using those things, for saying those things. Sometimes it takes creativity to see things that are not physically present through things like songs, clothes, or scents. Also, I just noticed Melissa used “a you” instead of “you,” and to me that accentuates this replication of a someone who is not there.

i know no love without teeth
& have the scars to remember.

trace those scars & you have a map
to my heart. open carefully. i will not die.

I like how these lines go from teeth to scars and from scars to heart. (There’s probably a writerly word for what Jose does in this poem, so) let me call it a leading by holding your hand, a guiding through every step of the way. Jose holds the reader’s hand, tells you where the teeth have been, where the scars have formed, where the scars lead to. And when you arrive at the heart, he (or the speaker of the poem) has the audacity to tell you: i will NOT die. That’s my type of dramatic imagery, even though he’s talking figuratively (I hope he’s talking figuratively).

Hi, my name is Andrea, and I am an English Language Arts teacher who loves reflecting over the truth, beauty, and wisdom I find through reading, journaling, and teaching. The Hummingbird’s Journal is where I collect these reflections. Feel free to join me on Twitter where I retweet (more than I tweet) all things funny, enlightening, artsy, and poetical.